Thoughts from the interface of science, religion, law and culture

After spending several years touring the country as a stand up comedian, Ed Brayton tired of explaining his jokes to small groups of dazed illiterates and turned to writing as the most common outlet for the voices in his head. He has appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show and the Thom Hartmann Show, and is almost certain that he is the only person ever to make fun of Chuck Norris on C-SPAN.

EVENTS

MI Legislators Don’t Want MSU to Teach About Unions

The incredibly far-right Republicans that control Michigan’s state legislature have a brilliant and appalling new idea. They want to punish Michigan State University by taking away $500,000 in funding if they continue to teach courses about labor union organizing.

Michigan State University could risk losing $500,000 if it does not stop offering courses that allegedly promote unionization.

A state Senate panel approved a measure Thursday banning courses at public universities that promote or discourage organizing efforts. It’s a reaction to MSU’s recent decision to take over some programs from the National Labor College.

Republicans say those courses violate the proposed rule.

“I believe in academic freedom, and you’re going to have difficult subjects that you’re going to cover at any university,” said state Rep. Al Pscholka, R-Stevensville, who chairs the panel that directs higher education funding in the House.

“But this is a case where I think we’re almost encouraging labor disputes, and I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

No, you don’t believe in academic freedom. You say you do, but you don’t. What you believe in is using your power to punish people for advocating ideas you don’t like. You’re an authoritarian asshole, like most of your colleagues. I lived in Stevensville for a few years as a kid. I wish I still did just so I could vote against this jerk. If unions didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be trying so hard to kill them.

Comments

They also have a proposal to take away money from schools who discuss the pros and cons of, or the how-to’s of, legally incorporating a business (for profit or otherwise). No law school in the state will be teaching a BusOrgs class after this.

I think he is on to something. We have many right but just as the right to organize can lead to labor disputes other rights can lead to things that are unpleasant too. We should forbid the teaching of nine of the ten amendments in the bill of rights. It is fine to have a right against self incrimination but knowing about it can lead to long court cases. Michigan Republicans better government through ignorance.

“I believe in academic freedom, and you’re going to have difficult subjects that you’re going to cover at any university,” said state Rep. Al Pscholka, R-Oceania, who chairs the panel that directs higher education funding in the House.

“But this is a case where I think we’re almost encouraging people to think we were at peace with Eastasia, and I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

Also, no more law classes. Educating attorneys only guarantees future challenges to our job creators.
Why,it’s almost guaranteeing future lawsuits against corporations, and that kills jobs and makes the baby Jeebus sad.

Labor history gets largely erased from history in the US, which is probably one reason why labor has been so successfully attacked.

I received a B.A. from MSU. Our business history and econ classes included plenty of labor history. Plus our econ classes required us to appreciate labor inputs every bit as much as we understand capital inputs.

All that in spite of the fact many of my econ profs were consultants to Republicans back in the 1970s and 1980s while the business profs were consultants to big business – particularly GM, Ford and Chrysler along with their Tier 1 and 2 suppliers. This was back when the GOP had a sane wing to the party, prior to conservatives taking over and moderates fleeing.

I was thinking of education before the collegiate level, since most people in the US don’t go to college, and that the type of people who would benefit most from a labor union are people doing jobs that don’t require a college degree. The state of Texas virtually erases labor unions from their history textbooks.

My recollection is tempered by the fact that I either slept through history classes or entertained wild fantasies about having unprotected sex with all of the hot girls–who sat there in prim atterntiveness in their plaid skirts and blazers–but I seem to remember that the Haymarket Riot, The Rouge River Strike, The Battle of Matewan and allathem other times that the laborcommies tried to take over MurKKKa was thwarted by the Pinkertons and other brave patriots.

‘No more ‘Criminology’ courses; they just encourage crimes, no more ‘Peace Studies'; they might encourage peace and definitely no more ‘Women’s Studies’, such courses only encourages the studying of women (and hoo-boy does that get awkward in lifts)’.